Rawsons the Florist in Fareham
Visit us on-line at www.rawsonstheflorist.co.uk - order via telephone on 01329 288855 or visit our shop in Fareham. Rawsons the Florist has been trading in West Street Fareham for over 20. All of our staff have many years experience and are extremely well qualified to advise you on any aspect of floristry designs. We also offer additional gift ideas such as balloons, teddies, chocolates, champagne and wine which can make your gift that extra bit special.
Friday 8 January 2016
Thursday 5 February 2015
Valentine's Roses
Tuesday 9 September 2014
Pickup Truck Floral Tribute
Pickup Truck Floral Tribute
We were asked recently to design and make a picture of a pickup truck in flowers for a gentleman’s funeral, we filled the back of the truck with garden flowers so it would be very colourful.
Thursday 12 June 2014
Oriental Poppy
I thought I would share these pictures with you, opening the back door to the shop this morning I was greeted by a wonderful sight. In amongst the tall grasses and wild flowers (and weeds) stood proudly the most amazing wild oriental poppies.
These plants were not in the garden last year, there is something to be said for not cutting down the weeds and grasses, had this been done we would not have been treated to see these most beautiful of flowers.
They seem to dance in the breeze and the petals look like crepe paper, there are even some of the double varieties and in the most wonderful shades of pinks and purples.
These plants grow to over 4 ft high and can be used to add wonderful colour and texture to any border. We have them for free and we are enjoying their beauty while it lasts.
Sunday 11 May 2014
Don't think you would want this flower in your bouquet!
09 MAY 2014
The world's biggest, smelliest flower is due to blossom imminently at a Cornish tourist attraction - and could be a record breaker.
The 268cm-tall Titan arum is currently only 23cm short of the Eden Project's biggest ever Titan and could break that record in the next few days.
It will be the ninth that has flowered at Eden but is due to be the first one to bloom twice.
It is growing at an astonishing rate of between 15 and 20cm a day and is due to flower either over this weekend or early next week - almost a year to the day since the last one bloomed at the attraction, near St Austell, Cornwall.
Titan arums normally live for between seven and 10 years before flowering for as little as 48 hours and then dying.
This plant is a first for Eden as the project's resident expert Tim Grigg cut the flower back after it first bloomed in 2011 and to his amazement it flowered again.
In 2011, it claimed the title of Eden's biggest ever Titan, measuring 291cm at its tallest.
The Titan arum is sometimes known as the "corpse flower" because of the horrible stench that it emits when flowering.
This smell attracts insects and animals that pollinate the plant. Some specimens have been known to reach 3 metres in height when they flower.
Eden will be installing a "stinky step", which will give brave visitors the chance to get up close to the flower and get their face right into the flower.
This will be the first one that has flowered twice at Eden.
Saturday 12 April 2014
Flower Food - The Benefits
about.com
You know if you put fresh cut flowers in water it will help keep them from wilting. If you have a packet of cut flower preservative from a florist or the store, it will help the flowers to stay fresh much longer.
Keys to Keeping Cut Flowers Fresh
- Give them water.
- Give them food.
- Protect them from decay or infection.
- Keep them cool and out of direct sunlight.
The floral preservative provides flowers with water and food and contains a disinfectant to prevent bacteria from growing. Making sure your vase is clean will also help. Discard any decaying leaves or flowers, because the freshness of flowers is influenced by the gases and bacteria found on wilted or rotting plant material. Also, don't set your flowers near ripe fruit, because the chemicals from the fruit (such as ethylene) will 'ripen' your flowers.
If you can, keep your flowers in a cool location and out of sun. Minimize air circulation, since it speeds evaporation and can dehydrate your flowers. Trim the bottom ends of your flowers with a clean, sharp blade before arranging them in the vase containing the floral preservative. Cut the stems at an angle to increase the surface area for water and to prevent the ends from resting flat on the bottom of the container.
In all cases, mix the floral preservative using warm water (100-110°F or 38-40°C) because it will move into the stems more effectively than cold water. Clean tap water will work, but if it is very high in salts or fluorides, consider using distilled water instead. Chlorine in tap water is fine, since it acts as a natural disinfectant.
http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryhowtoguide/a/cutflowers.htm
ehow.com
Flower Food Ingredients
Flower food contains three basic ingredients: sugar, an acidifier, and a respiratory inhibitor. Contrary to its name, the respiratory inhibitor maintains an open and freely respiring flower stem, thus promoting the flow of water and nutrients. The sugar mimics the chemical composition of sugar created during photosynthesis, providing food to the flower and thereby increasing longevity. Acidifiers lower the pH of water, which is generally alkaline, and inhibit the presence of microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi, which negatively impact flower health.Why Use Flower Food
Removing flowers from a plant or from the soil also removes the flower from its primary food source. Though the leaves on a flower stem continue to create sugar through photosynthesis, indoor sunlight does not provide sufficient fuel for the necessary levels of photosynthesis. Because cut flowers are generally taken before they have completely opened, they require nutrients to reach their full potential -- flower food provides such nutrients. Furthermore, the natural behavior of the flower includes closing the cut stem to prevent the invasion of potentially damaging foreign bodies. Adding flower food to water stops the stem from closing.Read more: http://www.ehow.com/info_8106602_flower-food.html#ixzz2yei0Yzru